Education Update June 2019

Liberia Career Pathways Training Liberia Career Pathways (LCP) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to empower and support Liberian Learners to progress through and transition from high quality education and training experiences into rewarding careers for Liberia’s economic growth.” The LCP office is in the compound of the Liberia Annual Conference Central Office where I work. During the 2018/2019 school year, LCP’s Career Clubs met weekly at Tubman High School (the government high school in Sinkor, Monrovia), St. Peters Lutheran High School in Sinkor, and Booker Washington Institute in Kakata. During one-hour club meetings, the Career Club Coordinators guide high school students as they work through the 9 modules of their career journals to identify their strengths and interests, match them to careers, begin to set goals, and chart courses to meet those goals. The government high school in Gbarnga, , and Ganta United Methodist School (UMS) in will have Career Clubs in the new school year. To refresh the current Club Coordinators and provide orientation for the incoming Coordinators, I facilitated a 3-day workshop (May 27-29) using Michigan State University’s 4-H career planning guide and student journal, Build Your Future: Choices… Connections…Careers. On the second day of the workshop, Roger Domah, the former principal of Ganta UMS and current Nimba County representative, stopped by unexpectedly to greet his former colleagues, Rev. Joseph Dolo (Guidance Counselor) and Mr. Lawrence Gorblay (Dean of Students), who will be the Ganta UMS Career Club Coordinators. I invited Mr. Domah to come back and share his career story. The next day, Mr. Domah Liberia Career Pathways, Executive Director, Rev. Kenety returned, and we used him to practice asking the questions Gee, took these photos at the training. The Career Club Career Club members will ask other professionals. It was Coordinators practiced doing activities that they will do great! I could not have planned it better. with their students in the Career Clubs.

Give to Advance projects

#15125B Scholarships

#3020670 Construction of New School Buildings

#3021654 Sheltering the Children of Gretta Moffat United

Methodist School Nimba County Representative, Roger Domah (in center), with Career Club Coordinators and Club members from Tubman High School. I’m on the far right.

Science Labs Our United Methodist high schools are working toward meeting the need (and Ministry of Education requirement) of having science laboratories. On June 3, I visited Quest UMS in . This school is creating spaces for a library and science lab. Once spaces are created, materials need to be purchased, and trained lab instructors need to be employed and paid. We are very grateful for the contributions that are being made so that students can have practical experience to help them understand what is being taught in the classroom. When I visited Tappita United Methodist School (UMS) in May, the principal told me that each school in the government’s Tappita District is contributing to a district science lab that will have shared use. The private and public schools are working together to face the challenges of Quest UMS, Kakata-Farmington River District financial and human resources.

WASSCE Laboratory experience is an expectation of the West Africa Senior Student Certificate Exam (the WASSCE). 12th grade students must pass the biology, chemistry, or physics exam to graduate from high school. The 12th grade exams were given in 9 subjects over a 4-week period ending on May 20. Beginning July 24, students will be able to access their results online. Students are only eligible for graduation after passing 5 of the 9 WASSCE exams.

Books for Africa In my updates, I often share the need for books in our schools. J. J. Dickson UMS in Barclayville,

is building an annex for the high school students but does not have books. In June, our friends from Peace Corps received a container of books from Books for Africa and offered to give Beginning stages of the science lab at Quest UMC. 20 boxes of books to our United Methodist schools that have libraries. I hired a taxi and went to Buchanan on June 20 to receive the books that were being stored at a government school. We left 10 boxes of math, science, English, and leisure books for elementary school at Brumskine UMS for our schools in that have libraries or reading

For missionary support in my name rooms and I brought 10 boxes back to Monrovia to share with

Give to Advance schools in Nimba County and with J. J. Dickson UMS when project the library space is ready. #3021129

I wish you the love, joy, and peace of Jesus Christ.

Helen Roberts-Evans [email protected]

© Global Ministries 2019 This is the taxi loaded with boxes of Books for Africa.